Australia nudge ahead in Bangladesh

Australia suffered another middle-order collapse but still managed to earn a valuable 72-run lead on the third day of the second Test in Bangladesh.

At 2-250, with David Warner and Peter Handscomb cruising, Australia were in a position to bat Bangladesh out of the Test before a calamitous run-out brought the home side back into the contest.

By day’s end Australia had creeped their way to 9-377, with their lead looking increasingly valuable as the pitch become more and more difficult for batting.

The Chittagong surface was a road for the first two days, but by the final session yesterday the Bangladesh spinners were earning very sharp turn and some deliveries were shooting through low out of the rough.

It looks like the kind of deck on which Australia will be thankful to have three frontline spinners. That’s not to suggest sole paceman Pat Cummins won’t have a role to play as Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman was able to have a generous impact, taking 3-84.

Rahman took the first wicket of the Aussie innings, having opener Matt Renshaw caught down the legside, and followed up with the dismissals of David Warner for 123 and wicketkeeper Matt Wade for eight.

That continues an awful series for Wade, who has made just 17 runs from three knocks, and kept very poorly in the first Test. If the Tasmanian does not make a meaningful score in the second innings here it is hard to see how he will retain his place for the first Ashes Test, with Peter Nevill and Alex Carey in line to take his spot.

(AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

The other Ashes position most obviously up for grabs is at number six and this Test is essentially a shootout between Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright.

Cartwright started his knock with supreme confidence, playing perhaps the three best shots of the day – a beautifully timed on-drive, a thumping cover drive, and then a huge six lofted out of the rough over long on. It became, however, an innings of style over substance as Cartwright fell for 18 needlessly trying to defend a skidding off-break from Mehedi Hasan which pitched two foot outside off stump.

Maxwell, meanwhile, looked completely out of sorts in his first half hour at the crease, struggling to get off strike.

As his frustration built he played four loose strokes, any of which could have led to his demise. Twice he tried to heave the spinners down the ground – the first shot flew just wide of mid-on for four, the second lobbed not far from the fielder at mid-off. Both shots were badly mishit.

Rather than reining himself in, Maxwell aimed a pair of optimistic back foot slashes at good deliveries slanted across him by Mustafizur. One was dropped at gully, an easy catch, while the other flew to the boundary between gully and the slip cordon, taking Maxwell to 16 from 39 balls.

To Maxwell’s credit, he changed tack and began to play with circumspection as he scrapped his way to 38 from 98 balls before being caught behind off a well-flighted delivery by Mehedi. When Cummins (4) and Agar (22) went not long after, Australia had lost 6-78. This was a replay of their second innings at Dhaka, when Australia subsided from 2-158 to be all out for 244.

Their misfiring middle order will be sternly tested once more in the second innings as Australia try to chase down a total to draw the series. Considering the constant threat posed by Bangladesh’s spinners in the final session yesterday, it looks as though batting last on this surface will be a very difficult task.

Ronan O'Connell

Ronan O'Connell has been a journalist for well over 13 years, including nine at daily newspapers in WA. He now traverses the world as a travel photojournalist, contributing words and photography to more than 30 magazines and newspapers including CNN, BBC, The Toronto Star, The Guardian, The South China Morning Post, The Irish Examiner and The Australian Financial Review. Check out his work and follow him on Twitter @ronanoco

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One thing to keep mindful of in judging the keepers is in the oppressive conditions (humidity) over there – see the impact that Handscomb had batting after fielding in close under the lid for much of the Bangas innings. Extrapolate that out further for Wade – keeping under the helmet for so much of the time with the spinners in operation.

This is where all the chatter about Handscomb keeping is so misguided – were he to keep – then he ain’t batting top 5 at very least.

re Wade – across India and to here – he’s made 8, 37 and 57 when Aust bat first. When Aust bat 2nd, he’s made 40, 5 and 8 after having kept for an innings before hand.
When Aust bat third, he’s made 20, 9*, 25*
And when Aust batting 4th, he’s made 0 and 4.

So – when we bat first, he’s down for 156 at 39. When we bat 2nd, he’s down for 57 at 11.4.

It’s a tough gig keeping wicket over there. The surface and the environment.

The coach, Adam Griffith, has said it’s up for grabs, but alluded that Paine will still be playing. Of the two, Wade is the better batsman and Paine the better ‘keeper, so it makes sense, in some strange way.

You would imagine that he will start the season with the gloves as he is the Australian keeper until he is not picked. If he doesn’t get a gig in Brisbane the Tassie selectors would feel no pressure to pick him to keep.

Not likely I don’t reckon; Paine was struggling to get a spot last season when they preferred Jake Doran, and McDermott has come on in leaps and bounds with the bat. If Wade is the national keeper he has to keep for his state, surely, regardless of how average he is.

I’d be surprised if Doran is in the starting XI, his run with the gloves is over for quite a while now I’d say. He struggled badly last season.

They’ll give Wade the gloves and let McDermott keep developing his batting (a real talent that kid). Tassie will feel way too much pressure from CA and Wade himself (who may well be playing for his Test place in the first few Shield rounds) to give anyone else the gloves.

Yeah it’s funny. Wade’s keeping has improved, but his batting has been poor. Shouldn’t keeping be the main test? The thing is though – whilst his keeping has improved, there are better glovemen in Australia. And they couldn’t do any worse with the bat.

So I reckon if he doesn’t score well in the 2nd innings, he could be gone. Smith has acknowledged he needs more runs, and Handscomb did some back up keeping work before the test.

He’s not the best gloveman of the available keepers nor the best batsman of them either. Hard to justify his spot really.
Looking forward to see how the 3 Aussie spinners bowl next innings. First, it’ll be great if SOK and Lyon could nudge this lead beyond 100.

Rankings mean diddly squat in cricket i reckon. As for an Ashes loss, that is far from a given. Apart from Broad, there bowlers have never shown much out here. The poms have won 4 tests in Australia this century. Australia have won 15

Ronan have to agree any lead is a good lead, although it’s difficult to judge just around the corner there is a short tour of India with 20/20’s i am not quite sure & with The Ashes in a few weeks time do we keep the same side? Or i guess make a couple of changes no doubt we will have Starc returning to the side &Kuwaja not quite sure if that’s the correct spelling will he get another chance or could this be the end of his Test career?

Agree, Wade was plumb as, as a batsman you normally think you are not out, but if he thought for a nanosecond that it wasn’t plumb then he is really really out of form, and how could Maxwell approve the review? Maxwell was another completely rubbish review as well, smashed that ball onto his pad, keeper took it several inches above the deck… just selfish.
In fact this Aussie team really seems to be a selfish lot aside from the youngsters. Not in it to win test matches and series that is for sure.

I feel that Australia missed a great chance of batting BD out of the game but again any lead is good on this wicket. If Australia can bowl out BD under 200, they can close out the game tomorrow, weather permitting off course.